his boss surprised everyone and ran for re-election instead. then he had to step aside when another up and comer named barney frank got all the support. in 1982 race for lieutenant governor of massachusetts. the job wasn't much, but at least it was something. but the odds were long. there were a lot of ambitious democrats in massachusetts. and they all had the same idea. kerry had trouble qualifying for the ballot. he was an afterthought at the state convention. if he lost the primary, he'd probably be done for good. somehow he pulled out that race with less than 30% of the vote in the primary. all that got him was the lieutenant governors office which has snuffed out a few promising careers before. but there was an unexpected senate opening. without that twist, he might be in